Grant Morris's Blog, page 4
July 26, 2012
UPDATE: The Tusks of Odoben
The sequel is coming soon! I’m more than halfway through the rough draft of The Tusks of Odoben. I hope to have the sequel wrapped up and ready to publish by November. That will make it exactly one year since
The Silver Earth Seed
was released. Rachel Valencia (aka, Mr. Jenkins) is going to paint the cover. Those of you who read The Silver Earth Seed will remember that Mr. Jenkins, Jefferson Junior’s vice-principal, is also a rather accomplished painter. One of his works appears on the front cover of TSES. You might also remember that the painting plays a key role in the book :)
Well I’m happy to say we are continuing in the tradition set by the first book. An elegant painting from Mr. Jenkins’ personal collection will grace the cover of The Tusks of Odoben. Yay! I have to admit, I wrestled over whether to use a painting versus the ever-so-popular photo-based design. I was worried the cover wouldn’t pop from the page and capture the interest of online shoppers.
But for the sequel, like the first book in the series, the painting plays an important role. It’s truly a character of its own. So changing that would be tantamount to offing a main character. And you know I wouldn’t do that…or would I? (insert evil laugh here)
And as long as Rachel is willing to paint more covers we’ll continue featuring Mr. Jenkins’ works of art on all the subsequent books.
Till next time, keep reading and writing.
UPDATE: The Tusks of Odoben
The sequel is coming soon! I’m more than halfway through the rough draft of The Tusks of Odoben. I hope to have the sequel wrapped up and ready to publish by November. That will make it exactly one year since
The Silver Earth Seed
was released. Rachel Valencia (aka, Mr. Jenkins) is going to paint the cover. Those of you who read The Silver Earth Seed will remember that Mr. Jenkins, Jefferson Junior’s vice-principal, is also a rather accomplished painter. One of his works appears on the front cover of TSES. You might also remember that the painting plays a key role in the book :)
Well I’m happy to say we are continuing in the tradition set by the first book. An elegant painting from Mr. Jenkins’ personal collection will grace the cover of The Tusks of Odoben. Yay! I have to admit, I wrestled over whether to use a painting versus the ever-so-popular photo-based design. I was worried the cover wouldn’t pop from the page and capture the interest of online shoppers.
But for the sequel, like the first book in the series, the painting plays an important role. It’s truly a character of its own. So changing that would be tantamount to offing a main character. And you know I wouldn’t do that…or would I? (insert evil laugh here)
And as long as Rachel is willing to paint more covers we’ll continue featuring Mr. Jenkins’ works of art on all the subsequent books.
Till next time, keep reading and writing.
July 19, 2012
Great news! I’ve been interviewed.
Josie at You Only Write So Much - A YA and teen site for writers and readers asks me some great questions about writing and my books. You can read the interview at You Only Write So Much.
Great news! I’ve been interviewed.
Josie at You Only Write So Much - A YA and teen site for writers and readers asks me some great questions about writing and my books. You can read the interview here.
http://youonlywritesomuch.blogspot.com/
July 2, 2012
Where does inspiration come from?
First off, regardless if you’re feeling inspired you should stick to a writing routine. It’s hard, I know. I equate writing sometimes to exercising. It’s very hard to get motivated but once you start moving your muscles (arms, legs, or in the case of writing, your brain!) the momentum carries you along and the thrill begins to build and suddenly you’re in the zone. And doesn’t it feel great afterwards?
I write every morning for at least an hour. Some days I can get a couple of pages in, while other days I spend rewriting one paragraph. Some days the words flow through my fingertips as if I were simply dictating for some clever specter. And then there are days where I strain for every word and every idea like I was learning English for the first time.
But when inspiration hits—and it’s not always at the most convenient times (often in the shower or at the start of a long road trip)—writing is all I can think about. I curse the muse for slapping me upside the head during those inopportune times. But I start the writing process in my head anyway, and work it out and memorize the dialogue until I find the opportunity to put it to paper.
Inspiration can come from many sources. For me, it strikes randomly and emerges from various sensory influences, most notably: the radio. Without fail, if a Doors song comes on I feel a surge of enthusiasm for all things creative. I don’t know why or how The Doors has this magical effect on me, but I can’t and certainly won’tcomplain. Any chance at inspiration is a welcome one!
Also, rainy weather seems to be a loyal muse. If ever I’m fortunate enough to hear Riders on the Storm during a tempest I’ll probably knock out an entire novel on the spot. What or who inspires you? Are you sticking with a writing routine? Even if it’s just a few minutes a day, the act of writing will become habitual and you’ll be strengthening that writer’s muscle.
Till next time, keep reading and writing.
March 23, 2012
Plotting out the story vs. winging it...
If you're a control freak like me then you'll probably choose to plot out every detail of your story, down to the color of your hero's socks. But if you live life haphazardly and consider spontaneity a virtue, then likely you'll prefer to just wing it. My first novel, The Silver Earth Seed, I did just that: I had a character in mind, a fuzzy plot idea, and a question that I needed to answer. The question was simple but crucial to how the story would develop: What made Arnold Cook different than everyone else?
Initially, I had a vision of thirteen year old Arnold Cook waking up on a deserted beach without his memory. As the story progressed other characters helped to shape the plot. Arnold's interaction with the secondary characters helped the story flesh itself out. Arnold discovered he could do things that, even to him, seemed unnatural and unique. And as he began to seek out answers he gradually regained his memory and his purpose. And Voila, the story was made. The spontaneous twists and turns helped the suspense ebb and flow and keep the reader guessing (and me sometimes, too), but ultimately the story culminated in an awesome battle scene! Yes! Just the way a fantasy story should end! And, of course, it wasn't planned. I winged the whole thing!
My recent book, Deacon Leeds and the Pyramid of Symbols, however, was meticulously plotted out from beginning to end. I purposely chose to write very short chapters (7-8 pages) in order to speed up the story's pace. Each chapter ends with a climactic hook, begging the reader to keep reading. Don't you dare put this book down! Just one more chapter, and so on.... And each chapter has a goal and a clue that moves the story along, propelling the character toward discovering his answer.
All in all, I enjoy both methods. The discovery and constant guessing while blindly writing The Silver Earth Seed was both exciting and frightening. There were times when I had no idea where the story was going! Then, like magic, everything began to make sense. As if an invisible hand was doing all the writing and I was simply an instrument for someone else's ideas. But there's something comforting about knowing where you're going and how'll you get there, so plotting out the story is my story writing method of choice. Though I might dabble in the other from time to time....
Till next time, keep reading and writing.
Initially, I had a vision of thirteen year old Arnold Cook waking up on a deserted beach without his memory. As the story progressed other characters helped to shape the plot. Arnold's interaction with the secondary characters helped the story flesh itself out. Arnold discovered he could do things that, even to him, seemed unnatural and unique. And as he began to seek out answers he gradually regained his memory and his purpose. And Voila, the story was made. The spontaneous twists and turns helped the suspense ebb and flow and keep the reader guessing (and me sometimes, too), but ultimately the story culminated in an awesome battle scene! Yes! Just the way a fantasy story should end! And, of course, it wasn't planned. I winged the whole thing!
My recent book, Deacon Leeds and the Pyramid of Symbols, however, was meticulously plotted out from beginning to end. I purposely chose to write very short chapters (7-8 pages) in order to speed up the story's pace. Each chapter ends with a climactic hook, begging the reader to keep reading. Don't you dare put this book down! Just one more chapter, and so on.... And each chapter has a goal and a clue that moves the story along, propelling the character toward discovering his answer.
All in all, I enjoy both methods. The discovery and constant guessing while blindly writing The Silver Earth Seed was both exciting and frightening. There were times when I had no idea where the story was going! Then, like magic, everything began to make sense. As if an invisible hand was doing all the writing and I was simply an instrument for someone else's ideas. But there's something comforting about knowing where you're going and how'll you get there, so plotting out the story is my story writing method of choice. Though I might dabble in the other from time to time....
Till next time, keep reading and writing.
Plotting out the story vs. winging it...
If you're a control freak like me then you'll probably choose to plot out every detail of your story, down to the color of your hero's socks. But if you live life haphazardly and consider spontaneity a virtue, then likely you'll prefer to just wing it. My first novel, The Silver Earth Seed, I did just that: I had a character in mind, a fuzzy plot idea, and a question that I needed to answer. The question was simple but crucial to how the story would develop: What made Arnold Cook different than everyone else?
Initially, I had a vision of thirteen year old Arnold Cook waking up on a deserted beach without his memory. As the story progressed other characters helped to shape the plot. Arnold's interaction with the secondary characters helped the story flesh itself out. Arnold discovered he could do things that, even to him, seemed unnatural and unique. And as he began to seek out answers he gradually regained his memory and his purpose. And Voila, the story was made. The spontaneous twists and turns helped the suspense ebb and flow and keep the reader guessing (and me sometimes, too), but ultimately the story culminated in an awesome battle scene! Yes! Just the way a fantasy story should end! And, of course, it wasn't planned. I winged the whole thing!
My recent book, Deacon Leeds and the Pyramid of Symbols, however, was meticulously plotted out from beginning to end. I purposely chose to write very short chapters (7-8 pages) in order to speed up the story's pace. Each chapter ends with a climactic hook, begging the reader to keep reading. Don't you dare put this book down! Just one more chapter, and so on.... And each chapter has a goal and a clue that moves the story along, propelling the character toward discovering his answer.
All in all, I enjoy both methods. The discovery and constant guessing while blindly writing The Silver Earth Seed was both exciting and frightening. There were times when I had no idea where the story was going! Then, like magic, everything began to make sense. As if an invisible had was doing all the writing and I was simply an instrument for someone else's ideas. But there's something comforting about knowing where you're going and how'll you get there, so plotting out the story is my story writing method of choice. Though I might dabble in the other from time to time....
Till next time, keep reading and writing.
Initially, I had a vision of thirteen year old Arnold Cook waking up on a deserted beach without his memory. As the story progressed other characters helped to shape the plot. Arnold's interaction with the secondary characters helped the story flesh itself out. Arnold discovered he could do things that, even to him, seemed unnatural and unique. And as he began to seek out answers he gradually regained his memory and his purpose. And Voila, the story was made. The spontaneous twists and turns helped the suspense ebb and flow and keep the reader guessing (and me sometimes, too), but ultimately the story culminated in an awesome battle scene! Yes! Just the way a fantasy story should end! And, of course, it wasn't planned. I winged the whole thing!
My recent book, Deacon Leeds and the Pyramid of Symbols, however, was meticulously plotted out from beginning to end. I purposely chose to write very short chapters (7-8 pages) in order to speed up the story's pace. Each chapter ends with a climactic hook, begging the reader to keep reading. Don't you dare put this book down! Just one more chapter, and so on.... And each chapter has a goal and a clue that moves the story along, propelling the character toward discovering his answer.
All in all, I enjoy both methods. The discovery and constant guessing while blindly writing The Silver Earth Seed was both exciting and frightening. There were times when I had no idea where the story was going! Then, like magic, everything began to make sense. As if an invisible had was doing all the writing and I was simply an instrument for someone else's ideas. But there's something comforting about knowing where you're going and how'll you get there, so plotting out the story is my story writing method of choice. Though I might dabble in the other from time to time....
Till next time, keep reading and writing.
February 11, 2012
Don't pick up people's bricks...
How many times have you said to yourself: I should write a book? And then you confide your idea in someone else and they basically rain on your parade. They tell you things like: Writing a book is hard work. Are you sure you can do it? You don't know how to write. Do you know how difficult it is to get published? Why bother? Or worse, they say something that sounds somewhat supportive but you know they're just humoring you. Ouch! Suddenly that firestorm of enthusiasm you had moments before has been smothered by the bricks of negativity.
Well, I'm here to tell you that you CAN write a book! Of course, I may not know you and you may not know me, but I am familiar with that thrill of excitement at the prospect of writing your first book. And I also know what it feels like to have that enthusiasm crushed by someone's unsupportive comments. So, instead of picking up those heavy bricks and letting them weigh down your enthusiasm, cast them aside and leap upon them. Plant your flag of confidence in the center of that heap and shout to the heavens: I WILL write my book!
Don't let those naysayers distract you from what you believe deep down inside you are capable of. Their voices only reflect their own doubts and lack of self-confidence. Or, they are dinosaurs in their belief that self-publishing is a sign of the amateur. Nonsense! You don't need a degree to write. You simply need to tell a good story. And do so by using the tools you've gleaned from reading all those wonderful books throughout your life.
Self-publishing is the battering ram that breaks down the barrier between you and your right to have your very own published book. You, the writer, are one of many who are lining up to shove that battering ram forward and break down that wall once and for all. And if you think self-publishing can never be as successful as publishing the traditional way, just take a look at all these wonderful authors who started their careers as self-published authors:
John Grisham, James Joyce, Mark Twain, Upton Sinclair, Ezra Pound, Virginia Woolf, Edgar Allan Poe. And most recently, Christopher Paolini, author of Eragon and the Inheritance Cycle. And make sure you read Amanda Hocking's success story. Fed up by all the rejections from traditional publishers she decided to self-publish on Amazon and went on to sell millions of copies of her Trylle Trilogy.
So buck up, and start writing that book!
Till next time, keep reading and writing.
Well, I'm here to tell you that you CAN write a book! Of course, I may not know you and you may not know me, but I am familiar with that thrill of excitement at the prospect of writing your first book. And I also know what it feels like to have that enthusiasm crushed by someone's unsupportive comments. So, instead of picking up those heavy bricks and letting them weigh down your enthusiasm, cast them aside and leap upon them. Plant your flag of confidence in the center of that heap and shout to the heavens: I WILL write my book!
Don't let those naysayers distract you from what you believe deep down inside you are capable of. Their voices only reflect their own doubts and lack of self-confidence. Or, they are dinosaurs in their belief that self-publishing is a sign of the amateur. Nonsense! You don't need a degree to write. You simply need to tell a good story. And do so by using the tools you've gleaned from reading all those wonderful books throughout your life.
Self-publishing is the battering ram that breaks down the barrier between you and your right to have your very own published book. You, the writer, are one of many who are lining up to shove that battering ram forward and break down that wall once and for all. And if you think self-publishing can never be as successful as publishing the traditional way, just take a look at all these wonderful authors who started their careers as self-published authors:
John Grisham, James Joyce, Mark Twain, Upton Sinclair, Ezra Pound, Virginia Woolf, Edgar Allan Poe. And most recently, Christopher Paolini, author of Eragon and the Inheritance Cycle. And make sure you read Amanda Hocking's success story. Fed up by all the rejections from traditional publishers she decided to self-publish on Amazon and went on to sell millions of copies of her Trylle Trilogy.
So buck up, and start writing that book!
Till next time, keep reading and writing.
January 23, 2012
You CAN do it all...
You can be the writer, the editor, the cover designer, the publisher, AND the marketing specialist. We are fortunate enough to live in a day and age where we, the writers, have complete control over every aspect of our work. No more will you have to depend on an agent or a big house publisher to publish and promote your novel! Thanks to self-publishing venues like Amazon and Smashwords we now have the ability to do it all!
First off, do yourself a favor and write an entertaining story rich with vibrant characters and a plot so utterly suspenseful the reader won't be able to put your book down. You can do that by creating a likeable character with a worthy goal that can only be reached by overcoming a set of difficult obstacles. Remember to raise The Question in the reader's mind that will be answered by the end of your story. For more on this read my post How do you begin a story?
Now that you've written a wonderfully suspenseful story it's time to make sure you've dotted all your i's and crossed all your t's. An unedited book sticks out like a sore thumb, so don't put it out there until you're completely satisfied it would survive Miss Crabtree's red pen. It's not a bad idea to pass your manuscript around for second opinions. But, if you're a control freak like me, you'll learn how to edit your own work. Start with the basics: check out Strunk and White's The Elements of Style .
Most word processors have a search function that will allow you to search through your manuscript for words used incorrectly. One of the last checks I do, after exhaustively reading my manuscript over and over, is search for these words: there, their, they're, then, than, your, you're, it's, its, were, we're, sense, since, whose, who's. Without fail, I always find one or two that have been used incorrectly. We are human and therefore we make mistakes! But this final word search will help polish your manuscript and get it ready to show the world!
Now what about your book cover? The cover is the first impression the reader's going to have of your book. It should give the reader an idea of what kind of story lies between those pages. I recommend checking out books in your genre to get an idea of the style you should be aiming for. For example, many Young Adult books use real photos of handsome teens in various poses. Middle Grade books, however, tend to be more colorful and have cartoonish characters in playful poses.
If you don't know any graphic artists or professional photographers don't sweat it. There are plenty of tutorials on the web that will give you pointers on how to design your book cover all by yourself! CreateSpace is a popular one and is in partnership with Amazon.com, so once you design your book cover and format your manuscript it's a cinch to upload them to the site and start selling your book!
Luckily I have a couple of very talented friends who are willing to design my book covers. But at the same time I've been learning the basics of Adobe Photoshop with the goal of one day taking over this aspect of the book creating process. It's a lot of fun and not that difficult to learn. Mastering the many tricks and techniques in Adobe Photoshop will put you that much closer to doing it ALL!
Okay, you've written a suspenseful novel, free of errors, and with a superbly inviting cover that not only entices your readers to snatch it from the shelf but also clues them in on what kind of story they'll be reading. You're ready to publish! But where do you start?
First off, you shouldn't have to fork out any up front money! CreateSpace, the publisher I use, allows you to publish and make your book available for free. The customer pays a price that is decided by you and, once your book is purchased, you earn a royalty--which is equal to PRICE - COST. For example, if your book is priced at $15 and the cost to print one is $5 then you'll earn a $10 royalty!
Also, digital books are the hot item these days and there are several venues to upload and sell the digital version of your book. Among my favorites are Amazon (Kindle), Barnes and Noble (Nook), and Smashwords. In fact, most of my sales have come from the Kindle version! It would be crazy to ignore such a quickly growing market, so jump on the digital bandwagon!
That's it! Your pride and joy is out there in both paperback and digital version. Now all you have to do is kick back and wait for all those sales to come rolling in! Wrong! It's time to put on another hat. You must market and promote your book. But how? It's not like you have a gazillion dollars to buy up ad space in the New York Times or plaster your book title on hundreds of billboards.
The first stop: Social Media. Facebook and Twitter can be very helpful in giving your sales the little nudge it needs at the start. Encourage friends and family to buy your book, and once they do, encourage them to write a review for Amazon and Barnes and Noble. This will help your sales and your book will stand out to potential customers perusing the digital bookshelf.
Get involved with the author communities at Amazon.com, BarnesandNoble.com, and Goodreads.com. Networking is key to selling more books. Everywhere you go you should be talking up your book. Check out the local book store in your town and ask the owners if they'd be willing to take your book on consignment. Organize book signings in your town. Encourage local newspaper columnists to do a story on your new book. The key to selling more books is to talk it up whenever you can and wherever you go.
Till next time, keep reading and writing.
First off, do yourself a favor and write an entertaining story rich with vibrant characters and a plot so utterly suspenseful the reader won't be able to put your book down. You can do that by creating a likeable character with a worthy goal that can only be reached by overcoming a set of difficult obstacles. Remember to raise The Question in the reader's mind that will be answered by the end of your story. For more on this read my post How do you begin a story?
Now that you've written a wonderfully suspenseful story it's time to make sure you've dotted all your i's and crossed all your t's. An unedited book sticks out like a sore thumb, so don't put it out there until you're completely satisfied it would survive Miss Crabtree's red pen. It's not a bad idea to pass your manuscript around for second opinions. But, if you're a control freak like me, you'll learn how to edit your own work. Start with the basics: check out Strunk and White's The Elements of Style .
Most word processors have a search function that will allow you to search through your manuscript for words used incorrectly. One of the last checks I do, after exhaustively reading my manuscript over and over, is search for these words: there, their, they're, then, than, your, you're, it's, its, were, we're, sense, since, whose, who's. Without fail, I always find one or two that have been used incorrectly. We are human and therefore we make mistakes! But this final word search will help polish your manuscript and get it ready to show the world!
Now what about your book cover? The cover is the first impression the reader's going to have of your book. It should give the reader an idea of what kind of story lies between those pages. I recommend checking out books in your genre to get an idea of the style you should be aiming for. For example, many Young Adult books use real photos of handsome teens in various poses. Middle Grade books, however, tend to be more colorful and have cartoonish characters in playful poses.
If you don't know any graphic artists or professional photographers don't sweat it. There are plenty of tutorials on the web that will give you pointers on how to design your book cover all by yourself! CreateSpace is a popular one and is in partnership with Amazon.com, so once you design your book cover and format your manuscript it's a cinch to upload them to the site and start selling your book!
Luckily I have a couple of very talented friends who are willing to design my book covers. But at the same time I've been learning the basics of Adobe Photoshop with the goal of one day taking over this aspect of the book creating process. It's a lot of fun and not that difficult to learn. Mastering the many tricks and techniques in Adobe Photoshop will put you that much closer to doing it ALL!
Okay, you've written a suspenseful novel, free of errors, and with a superbly inviting cover that not only entices your readers to snatch it from the shelf but also clues them in on what kind of story they'll be reading. You're ready to publish! But where do you start?
First off, you shouldn't have to fork out any up front money! CreateSpace, the publisher I use, allows you to publish and make your book available for free. The customer pays a price that is decided by you and, once your book is purchased, you earn a royalty--which is equal to PRICE - COST. For example, if your book is priced at $15 and the cost to print one is $5 then you'll earn a $10 royalty!
Also, digital books are the hot item these days and there are several venues to upload and sell the digital version of your book. Among my favorites are Amazon (Kindle), Barnes and Noble (Nook), and Smashwords. In fact, most of my sales have come from the Kindle version! It would be crazy to ignore such a quickly growing market, so jump on the digital bandwagon!
That's it! Your pride and joy is out there in both paperback and digital version. Now all you have to do is kick back and wait for all those sales to come rolling in! Wrong! It's time to put on another hat. You must market and promote your book. But how? It's not like you have a gazillion dollars to buy up ad space in the New York Times or plaster your book title on hundreds of billboards.
The first stop: Social Media. Facebook and Twitter can be very helpful in giving your sales the little nudge it needs at the start. Encourage friends and family to buy your book, and once they do, encourage them to write a review for Amazon and Barnes and Noble. This will help your sales and your book will stand out to potential customers perusing the digital bookshelf.
Get involved with the author communities at Amazon.com, BarnesandNoble.com, and Goodreads.com. Networking is key to selling more books. Everywhere you go you should be talking up your book. Check out the local book store in your town and ask the owners if they'd be willing to take your book on consignment. Organize book signings in your town. Encourage local newspaper columnists to do a story on your new book. The key to selling more books is to talk it up whenever you can and wherever you go.
Till next time, keep reading and writing.
January 19, 2012
How do you begin a story?
The basic ideaof a story is quite simple: Character A wants something and the story describeshis or her journey to get that something. But it's never a straight line, isit? That would be boring, wouldn't it?
Instead, the story is filled withobstacles and secondary characters whose sole purpose is to thwart Character A'sprogress. Now this is all pretty basic stuff but it's essentially the gist ofevery story. And it's the reason why the reader keeps reading—if, of course,the story is told well and Character A is sympathetic and his or her plightis worthy enough to hold the reader's interest.
Okay, now that we understand thebarebones of a story, where do we begin? For me, Character A is the mostimportant ingredient to our story. If our character is likeable and his or hergoal is worthy and the path to that goal appears fraught with interestingdiversions that keep the reader guessing at Character A's success, then you might have captured the reader'sinterest for the duration of your story.
I say might because what happens along the way can determine whether thereader stays interested or lays the book down and grabs the remote. How do youkeep the reader interested, you ask? Simple. Always have several unansweredquestions lingering in the air until the very end of the story. And as you tellyour story you answer those questions, one by one, while throwing newerquestions out there for the reader to ponder.
Example: The Hunger Games. SuzanneCollins is a genius. The main question in the first book is: Will Katniss Everdeendie in the Hunger Games? And since Katniss's character is so well liked fromthe get go, we're on tenterhooks the entire time. The next question: WillKatniss choose Gale or Peeta? And this question remains throughout all threebooks. Also note that Stephenie Meyer famously used the love triangle techniquein the Twilight saga. Team Edward or team Jacob, right?
The point is clear: Build astrong, likeable, sympathetic character. Then give your character a goal thatis interesting. Katniss's goal was to survive the Hunger Games. And her goalraised the question for the reader: Will she survive? And the reader justcouldn't put the book down until that question was answered.
So build that character. Come up with your mainquestion to hold the reader's interest. And then think of all the ways you canmake your character stumble along the way, while raising other interestingquestions to hold the reader's interest.
Till next time, keep reading andwriting.
Instead, the story is filled withobstacles and secondary characters whose sole purpose is to thwart Character A'sprogress. Now this is all pretty basic stuff but it's essentially the gist ofevery story. And it's the reason why the reader keeps reading—if, of course,the story is told well and Character A is sympathetic and his or her plightis worthy enough to hold the reader's interest.
Okay, now that we understand thebarebones of a story, where do we begin? For me, Character A is the mostimportant ingredient to our story. If our character is likeable and his or hergoal is worthy and the path to that goal appears fraught with interestingdiversions that keep the reader guessing at Character A's success, then you might have captured the reader'sinterest for the duration of your story.
I say might because what happens along the way can determine whether thereader stays interested or lays the book down and grabs the remote. How do youkeep the reader interested, you ask? Simple. Always have several unansweredquestions lingering in the air until the very end of the story. And as you tellyour story you answer those questions, one by one, while throwing newerquestions out there for the reader to ponder.
Example: The Hunger Games. SuzanneCollins is a genius. The main question in the first book is: Will Katniss Everdeendie in the Hunger Games? And since Katniss's character is so well liked fromthe get go, we're on tenterhooks the entire time. The next question: WillKatniss choose Gale or Peeta? And this question remains throughout all threebooks. Also note that Stephenie Meyer famously used the love triangle techniquein the Twilight saga. Team Edward or team Jacob, right?
The point is clear: Build astrong, likeable, sympathetic character. Then give your character a goal thatis interesting. Katniss's goal was to survive the Hunger Games. And her goalraised the question for the reader: Will she survive? And the reader justcouldn't put the book down until that question was answered.
So build that character. Come up with your mainquestion to hold the reader's interest. And then think of all the ways you canmake your character stumble along the way, while raising other interestingquestions to hold the reader's interest.
Till next time, keep reading andwriting.
